TGH-anchored development moves forward in east Ybor City

Developer Darryl Shaw took another step forward this week with plans to build a mixed-use district, anchored by Tampa General Hospital, on the eastern edge of Ybor City. 

On Wednesday, Shaw filed a rezoning request with the city of Tampa to clear the way for “Casa Ybor” — a 25-acre, master-planned development anchored by “health care, residential, commercial and community-focused uses,” a release says. 

The parcels included in the request are mainly zoned for industrial uses and are located between Adamo Drive and 6th Avenue, between the Selmon Expressway connector and North 26th Street. 

“This is another meaningful step forward in bringing our long-term vision for Ybor City to life,” Shaw, chief executive officer of Casa Ybor, says in the release. “We are continuing to build momentum behind a plan that honors Ybor’s history while creating new opportunities through jobs, housing, and access to world-class health care.”

Shaw and Tampa General Hospital first introduced their plans for the location to Tampa City Council in October. TGH agreed to buy 10 acres inside the Casa Ybor location, with an option for another 6.45 acres, to build a hospital with primary and urgent care services, a clinic and a medical office building in the heart of the development. 

Details on the project, like a sale price, timeline and the number of beds in the new hospital, weren’t disclosed. 

The new TGH campus will be surrounded by “complementary mixed-use elements,” the release says, including ground-floor retail, hospitality and residential developments. Expanding the hospital’s footprint into east Ybor City will make quality healthcare more accessible to those living in the many new developments planned for the area, TGH leadership says. 

“Expanding into East Ybor City allows us to bring high-quality, academic health care closer to the communities and workforce helping drive Tampa’s growth,” John Couris, president and CEO of Tampa General Hospital, says in the release. “As this area continues to evolve, we see an opportunity to deliver integrated care that supports families, advances research, and helps strengthen Tampa’s position as a leading medical and innovation hub. This is another meaningful step forward in building a connected, inclusive health care ecosystem that serves the entire region.”

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Hospital leadership say the new campus will be in the heart of what it calls the Tampa Medical and Research District, which encompasses thousands of acres from Ybor City to downtown to South Tampa. The region is a “robust health care and life sciences ecosystem where leading academic and research health systems, nationally recognized universities, biotechnology companies and a dynamic network of startups, entrepreneurs and investors intersect, accelerating the revolution of health care,” the release says. The district is anchored by both TGH and USF Health’s downtown facility and aims to attract more companies in health care, life sciences, artificial intelligence, defense and technology. 

Casa Ybor’s plans also call for recreating segments of Ybor City’s historic urban street grid, strengthening connectivity between East Ybor and the neighborhood’s historic core. Designs for the region also include “pocket-scale parks” and open spaces to support walkability, transit corridors and major employment centers. 

The broader Tampa Medical and Research District and Tampa General’s planned expansion into Casa Ybor all align with Shaw’s vision to reposition Ybor City as a “premier destination,” all while preserving its historical and cultural authenticity, the release says. That effort is already underway as Shaw’s sprawling, 50-acre GasWorx district continues to develop, reconnecting Historic Ybor City with downtown Tampa, the Channel District and the newly-developed Water Street with added office space, housing, infrastructure and multi-used trails.